ACI EUROPE: European air passenger traffic 1.5% below pre-pandemic volumes in Mar-2024

ACI EUROPE reported (08-May-2024) the following highlights from its air traffic report for Mar-2024:

• Passenger traffic in the European airport network grew 10.2% year-on-year, while remaining 1.5% below 2019 levels;
• International passenger volumes exceeded pre-pandemic volumes (+2.7%) while domestic traffic remained below (-13.2%);
• Within the EU+ countries market, airports in Malta (+32.5%), Portugal (+23.1%), Greece (+19.6%), Poland (+19.2%) and Spain (+14.5%) recorded the best performance compared to Mar-2019;
• Airports in Slovakia (-34.9%), Slovenia (-27.8%), Sweden (-27%), Finland (-24.4%) and Germany (-22.9%) remained well below their pre-pandemic passenger traffic levels;
• London Heathrow Airport was the busiest airport, with an increase of 7.9% year-on-year, followed by Istanbul Airport (+2.7%) and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (+6.6%);
• Freight traffic across the European airport network increased 7.6% year-on-year and remained at an 5% deficit compared to Mar-2019;
• For 1Q2024, passenger traffic in the European airport network grew 10.2% year-on-year, while remaining 1.3% below 2019 levels.

ACI EUROPE director general Olivier Jankovec said: "The market remains very fragmented in terms of traffic performance, with only 43% of Europe's airports having recovered their pre-pandemic passenger volumes". Mr Jankovec added: "Looking ahead, we have revised upwards our traffic forecast for the full year and now see passenger volumes in 2024 exceeding pre-pandemic volumes (2019) by +3.2% - instead of +1.4% previously. This reflects positive prospects for the summer season, with demand set to remain strong as consumers keep prioritising travel despite much higher air fares". [more - original PR]